All Comments on 'Best Friends'

the story flowed and I got into it easily. However, the fact that she was okay with her best friend fucking around showed that she thought it was okay to do. I like the twist about it being her that was cheating. I also have somewhat of a problem with the best friend of one spouse or the other being of the opposite sex. Doesn't seem right but I guess it's whatever floats your boat. But trusting is hard these days and one more level of possibilities and chances for disloyalty and transfer of devotion isn't something that you need in a shaky relationship.

But I thank you for your story and for sharing your talent with us. The experience was worth much more than the cost of the story.

Why did you waste your time and OURS?! if you can't be bothered finishing a story, don't post it and call it a flash? That is a cop out and shows contempt for the readers who usually love your writing.

when ci ci, are saying: i love you!

she actually saying: fuck you

to her husband

What's with the present tense shit? That never works and it didn't work here. A dumb as rocks husband and a slut wife. Just bad. Was that supposed to be some kind of twist at the end? Well, it didn't work. It was plain from the first mention of the "best friend."

There are two big problems with this story. First is that Paul was smart enough to see that the wife is not answering his questions directly. Since that is the case his effort to ensure that the wife's friend does not come between them can only fail.

It is inconsistent in the story to develop a character that is sharp and insightful as paul yet somehow or another lose focus on the fact that the wife has not answered his questions directly.

Instead it is even more inconsistent to have Paul as a sharp intelligent person who can see-through his wife non denial denials... not understand the significant implications the wife's attitude. She is helping either directly or indirectly her friend to cheat on his wife and she does not see this as a major issue. If her story turned out to be completely true is a extremely important and dangerous warning sign.

It makes no sense within the pros of the story @paul this Sharp intelligent but realize the significance of the wife's intellectual contortions and defending her male friend affair. Of course the fact that it turned out to be the Ci Ci that was having an affair should not at all be a surprise given her overall reaction two marital affairs

Not in the rude part, but I didn't like the present tense, either. Didn't care for the whole "cheerleader" thing, at all. He had sex with them when? When they were in high school? Saw them naked in high school? Um, 18, remember? That means all those cheerleaders pretty late in their senior year. Busy guy. I thought the whole cheerleader thing was sort of degrading, anyway.

Just a cheating bitch who will soon hold the title of ex-wife

Needs the confrontation about the text. Sorry, 1*.

I enjoyed your story.

I don't think that the twist that CiCi is the cheating one is clear from the start, just like others have complained about below.

I liked the way you present Paul very emotional and offended by the fact that his wife helps her best friend during an affair. CiCi's reaction is very plausible to me too. It's her best friend and she tells her husband that, when she has to decide, her loyalty lies with her best friend and not with his wife. That doesn't mean she's okay with cheating, but rather that she cares about her friend.

Then the twist at the end is a really good way to end this story if there's a second part to come!

What the hell was that? I'm very disappointed. Besides, I figured it out way before it was revealed. You just ended it in mid-sentence.

no rating

My guess is that Gary was never cheating on his wife, and the whole story Ci Ci told Paul was just cover for the furtive conversation in which Gary was having trying to talk his best friend out of cheating on her husband.

The good news is that Paul finally has something he can bond with Gary over. They both think telling a friend not to cheat is the right thing to do.

This reminded me of a JPB story the way it ended abruptly without resolution. I still liked it, though, and have enjoyed all of your longer stories. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel to Imbalance.

Twists are interesting, but in this case it is the truth that got twisted. From my experience, married men and women that have "best friend" relationships with members of the opposite sex usually have some serious issues in the background. Most often it is a bad marriage. The closeness of that "friendship" parallels a committed heterosexual relationship in every way except the actual sex. Usually one member of such a friendship wants more than to be "just friends". Most often, it is the male. Most men are just not that interested in girl talk unless it relates to sex and a loving relationship. Most women in such relationships are enjoy keeping a string of admiring men to sate their egos's. Often, it is the BF's wife that cannot tolerate this selfishness. In this case Gary's wife is strangely silent on this subject.

As to the ending? Enough is enough, time to dump the selfish bitch. Paul has to ask himself why he put up with her behavior for so long. No mention of kids - thank God. Time to call Gary's wife and let her know about their little secret. Life is short, there are plenty of decent, normal people out there why waste time with losers.

As soon as she said: "I love you too Paul...Don't you ever forget that. You hear me?", we knew who was cheating who...About the ending: I don't know if this story deserved a 2nd part or not...why? Because through all the story we could understand that he would never accept cheating...and she didn't confess it...he just found out by chance...Otherwise he would continue to be an ignorant cuckold...It wasn't just an "one time fling", but an affair...She didn't had the honesty to come clear with the man she claimed to love...So what is left of this marriage? The answer to this question, defines if a part 2 is necessary or not! A good flash story...4*

Brilliant flash. Five stars.

Because I want more. Well done sir, well done.

I don't understand the negative comments. This was well written, origional as far as I know. The ending was credible, and resolved the issue. She was cheating, not with Gary, husband found out about it, end of story, literally. We can imagine the shit storm coming, everything doesn't have to be spelled out in detail.

For what it's worth, her friendship with Gary took a big time hit.

Chilley

Well written story. Fast pace, believable characters. Nice twist at the end. Every time she said Gary, she was really talking about herself. Very nicely done, javmor.

It did end abruptly, but you did warn us that this was a flash story.

I want to add that 14, 15,16,and 17 year olds are having sex. Ironically, that only doesn't happen here, on an adult website, 😂. Really❗

AMerryman

Enjoyed the story. It's complete as it stands, any more would be a new story.

All the stupid comments about BF relationships are just that.

I just don't get why so many readers tell a writer what REALLY happened in his story.

They should all get together and write about Shakespeare.

Well done. Great twist at the end. More please.

Easy 5*

Javmor, you have painted a picture with words.

Lue

As usual writing these as I go, so some comments may be over-taken by future events.

"She listens to him" "I'm just there to listen Paul. That's all. You should try it sometime." - Implying that Paul doesn't listen to CiCi, and since that's apparently a good reason for Gary to cheat, hmm...

Not quite the twist I expected, but now we know why she wouldn't tell what she and Gary talked about!

The fact that she is 'not judging' Gary for cheating is a concern in and of itself. It suggests an acceptance of cheating behavior that Paul should be concerned about. Accepting it in others indicates that someone may ultimately accept it for themselves.

Clever but - Unfinished!

This deserves a chapter 2.

I found myself feeling some angst for the husband. Personally, I would have preferred that the story addressed his wife's relationship with a confessed pussy hound. That was the cause of the tension in this tale, and it felt real. Having her cheat with an unknown third party rendered her friendship with the man a moot point. Now she's toast and who cares if she's best friends with the sixth fleet. If the story pursued the pain and doubt the friendship created, it could have been extremely good. This story was interesting, but you set it up so well that the ending simply let all of that well earned wind out of the sails. The friendship was no longer a problem and that was what was making the story interesting. It wasn't resolved. It simply ceased to matter.

now to find out the particulars; TK U MLJ LV NV

In my earlier comment about "listening", I guess I was more right than I knew! I wonder if her lover "listening" to her was one of her own justifications for the affair?

Getting back tom the original premise of the story, which is moot now, a husband or a wife should NEVER have a best friend of the opposite sex that isn't their spouse! For that matter, they should never have a "best" friend of EITHER sex that they are closer to than their spouse!

Excellent point!

The whole story we were led to Gary being a villain to SOME degree or other, then it turns out that he's at least a bit of a good guy, trying to get her to stop the affair!

We don't see too many "best friends" stories, usually it's a girlfriend who is single or divorced who leads the wife into an affair.

Best friends of ANY sex, but especially opposite sex, need to be pushed back at least a little bit once you get into a serious relationship.

1* fag cuck shit!

-2 because it's the lowest score this computer will something something! Bullshit! Grrrrrr! I'm so fucking enraged by this fictional story!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh. Gotta love Loving Wives.

I see what you did here -- or tried to do. If you're looking to highlight the hypocrisy of the men who read these stories, then hubby needed to be more accepting of Gary's cheating. The fact that he was consistently anti-cheating across the board softened the impact of the twist.

CiCi's point seems to be that there is always a reason for cheating, and a spouse should understand why their spouse cheated so that they can fix that part of their relationship. That's all well and good, but then we never learn that reason why CiCi cheated.

As for the use of present tense, it works better here than it does in most stories because you're using a conversational tone. At times you even address the reader directly, as if we're sitting at a bar and we're hearing this story in real time as it unfolds.

All in all, it's a solid effort, but missed the mark for me. Still, it's always good to flex those creative muscles every now and then.

The most dreaded words on this site. Translation: A poorly developed little abortion of a story that will have no ending, and little plot or character development.

But I'll offer a few comments. The wife repeatedly refers to Gary as being her "best friend". Why the fuck didn't the husband ever say something like "That's the problem, Ci Ci. In a good marriage, the husband and wife should each regard the other as being their best friend. But you don't feel that way, and this marriage has one too many men in it."?

And, the wife actually said: "Gary is cheating on his wife.", and "Paul, why are you interrogating me? I'm not the one who is cheating?"

So, we are supposed to conclude from the abortion of an ending that the wife was just a liar? Presumably, she actually did, at some point, have sex with Gary? 1 star, because you didn't care enough to finish the damn story.

" a husband or a wife should NEVER have a best friend of the opposite sex that isn't their spouse! "

If you aren't secure enough in your relationship, and trust your wife enough, to "allow" her to be friends with a man, then you shouldn't be married.

I swear, reading some of the comments here, it seems like I've stumbled upon a Sharia Islamic men's support group!

I liked the story, interesting twist. Could you possibly continue this Javmor79?

BDEarth

While the story is crap, the comments usually support death and dismemberment for cheating wives. As if murder is justified by cheating...regardless, the story is still crap.

I do know that if she were having an affair, she would turn her notifications off. I know this because it's what I did. Because the last thing you want is for your significant other to read an errant text...like the one he read.

Good story but I knew she was guilty about something because of her responses. How as a friend to know why and what is missing. She felt horrible because he hubbys hate for her friend was even greater now when she was guilty all along. Also I could not put up with a male best friend for my wife and I know a lot of people would think bad of me because of that. I'm to jealous and would never believe he was a pusdy hound but he never fucked her or they never went all the way. So what does that mean they were giving each other oral when there was no one else that day. Her being odd that he was coming to eat then Gary looking confused that he was there and him not showing up with his wife who was suppose to be there is all alarming. A second chapter would be nice . I'd like all reactions and Gary giving hubby the real history or his relationship with his wife. Cheating sucks and when you find out without being told is even worse. If your partner comes and confesses it could still be game over but I feel there might be more of a chance that way. I don't know anyone who has stayed married after being caught cheating that is ever trusted again. Look forward to a chap 2 , as all your stories are enjoyable

"Relaxed" might be the term, or conversational in a way. A bit like explaining what is going on to a friend. I liked it myself,

Thanks,

MGM

I really liked it! 5* worth!

as I read this. Why is there no explanation for the wife of the other guy not showing up for lunch? I would think they would have some bullshit to toss his way.

SJ believes that spouses could have best friends that are of the opposite gender. In theory, I agree. We need to trust spouses. The reality is more of a gray area. A spouse's best friend has to be the person they married. That is an absolute in my world.

Friends of other genders are okay, but again, reality rears its ugly head. Not many wives can accept having a slim, big titted, round assed divorced woman spending time with her husband. Not many guys would be comfortable with the wife being besties with Brad Pitt. Part of love and marriage is paying close attention to the spouse and responding to their needs. Common sense dictates that you don't want the spouse to be overly friendly with a member of the opposite sex. It's the old "When Harry Met Sally" thing. ( "You know, you may be the first attractive woman I've not wanted to sleep with in my entire life." -Harry to Sally)

You are actually going against the odds if you don't think one or both of the friends are tempted to get even closer. I think men look at every woman not a family member as a potential sex partner, as Harry (not HIV!) stated so well to Sally. Your wife looks good to you. You know she looks good to the other guy. Of course he wants to bang her silly. Be vigilant. Divorce lawyers could give you long lists of people that trusted their spouses implicitly. You do not own your spouse, but you owe yourself peace of mind by simply paying attention to them and their needs and desires.

Liked it. Nice twist at the end.

Of course your spouse must be your best friend. That goes without saying. The implicit assumption in my statement was that -- besides your spouse -- there should be no problem with your spouse having a "best friend" of the opposite gender.

If you're constantly worried about your wife having an affair, then that indicates some serious issues with trust and/or insecurity. A good marriage can overcome those issues with solid communication.

I hate to sound like an "advocate" for open marriage, but one advantage it has over traditional marriage is that these issues of jealousy and questions of infidelity are rendered moot. If the characters in this story had an open marriage, CiCi would have had no reason to hide her affair. Of course that wouldn't have made for a very interesting story!

# 5

Joe, you repeated the sentence in your comment, but now I will too with emphasis added to explain the different interpretations. " a husband or a wife should never have a BEST Friend of the opposite sex that isn't their spouse! "

Joe, there is a very good reason for this statement. See Mat 6:24 - and the explanation in the Matthew henry commentaries (unabridged). (quote follows)

Mat 6:24(partial): No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

Matt Henry: A general maxim laid down; it is likely it was a proverb among the Jews, No man can serve two masters, much less two gods; for their commands will some time or other cross or contradict one another, and their occasions interfere. While two masters go together, a servant may follow them both; but when they part, you will see to which he belongs; he cannot love, and observe, and cleave to both as he should. If to the one, not to the other; either this or that must be comparatively hated and despised. This truth is plain enough in common cases.

Now, that being said, what I'm NOT trying to do here is get theological (Yeah, I know bible quotes, not getting theological?!) I'm actually staying away from that part of the commentary here. Read the full commentary if you doubt that. (You can find it here:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Mat/Mat_006.cfm?a=935024 ...it gets plenty theological.) I'm only concerned with the practical here, and I think Matthew Henry said it best. That's why I'm using his quote, and the (partial) bible verse is needed for context to understand Matthew Henry's commentary.

The key word in that statement wasn't NEVER, it was BEST. No sane married person in a relationship would say that "having friends other than the spouse" was the issue. It becomes an issue for the marriage/spouse, when THE MARRIAGE is NOT the Primary relationship in whatever sense is the most vital - whether or not it is physical, or emotional, or practical or whatever. Since people and relationships differ in character, then the vital areas of the relationships differ also. YOU may find your marriage unthreatened by physical infidelity. Others definitely do not find their relationship unthreatened by that. I've never called you out to say you were wrong about this or that or your marital choices are bad or anything like that, but here I will say that your interpretation of his statement in the comments was incorrect. From that incorrect interpretation, you drew an invalid set of conclusions.

I agree with everything you wrote. Maybe you should reread what I wrote? Again, your spouse MUST be your best friend. Your marriage MUST be your primary relationship. If a spouse's best friend outside of the marriage is of the opposite sex, I don't see the problem with that -- unless that relationship takes a higher priority than the marriage.

Thanks for your excellent stories. I will be checking every day for your next chapter of "Imbalance".

Needs chapter 2 (and maybe 3)

So it came out she was cheating and you ended it abruptly . No follow thru and when and how was she cheating. So Gary wasn't the cheater. So where the rest of this short story. Disappointing.

No more needed.

Take a picture of the phone. Then kick her to the curb. Life is too short to accept cheating.

You are the author and can do what you want but personally, I don't like incomplete stories like this. I can certainly imagine my own ending but I prefer to see yours.

As there is no part 1 listed, I have to wonder; am I the only one getting a little upset with some of these stories with such wide open loose ends?

Forgiveness, dump her easy or, out right BTB; either way tie up the loose ends and finish a story, not at the climatic middle of the story.

She really was digging a hole for herself. First having a friend who took priority over

him, with the fact that the friend was the opposite sex leaves things boiling then going on about you can't be told and finally telling him that she was helping him to cheat is too much. But given these problems you do not provoke your husband by having whispered conversations in front of him. Putting him on ice will only make him angrier.

Why are so many asking for another chapter?

They divorced.

The end.

There ya go. Why do so many people want to read about a divorce or some ugly confrontation/breakup? The purpose of this story (I assume) was the twist at the end. To carry it any further would be boring, no?

I did read what you wrote - I wrote in response to your message saying this:

(quote)

Wait, what?

" a husband or a wife should NEVER have a best friend of the opposite sex that isn't their spouse! "

If you aren't secure enough in your relationship, and trust your wife enough, to "allow" her to be friends with a man, then you shouldn't be married.

I swear, reading some of the comments here, it seems like I've stumbled upon a Sharia Islamic men's support group!

(/quote)

This was the comment I was replying to - It's not the concept of "other friends" that was bothersome as you seemed to postulate. It was a non-spouse BEST friend.

There is only ONE "Best" - so in the parlance of this story's was the husband the Best Friend of his wife? It certainly doesn't seem so (doubly not so). ...and the rest of the story lived up to that thesis, especially the ending "surprise".

When I began my response to you I had not yet read your reply to HDK. (It seems that the buggyness of the comment viewing code on the site has returned.) That reply left me wondering a bit about the consistency of your POV given the comment quoted above, but I'm happy to let that go.

It contains everything it needs and nothing it doesn't. This is how life is really lived--a series of short vignettes like this. Nobody lives the three act, plot driven lives that tie everything up in a nice bow at the end. Maybe that's how we wish life were lived, but it never is.

Thanks.

Interesting story. Well written, but really does need a part 2. The interesting thing to me is that you could make a case for scorched earth or reconciliation (assuming true remorse) depending on how you handle it. Really would like to see you finish this.

How many 'best' friends do you think you can have?

The word best means that there is nothing better than it (whatever it is).

If you have more than one 'best friend' then you are misusing the term.

If you are not your spouses best friend then you need a different spouse.

If your spouse is not your best friend then you need a different spouse.

not trusting your spouse. Men marry women they find attractive and desirable and most believe that other men will find them attractive as well. It is simply smart to be attentive and observant with those that are important to you. You trust your spouse, but you have to be willing to step in if something is beginning to go south.

Open marriages are great for fantasies and erotic stories, but are statistically even more prone to failure than traditional marriages. You state that jealousy is removed from the equation in an open marriage. You may believe that, but you've found that to be a hard sell, even on this erotic site. Jealousy is a human emotion, a part of our DNA to some extent. Perhaps some don't experience it, but most people do, to some extent. Most people reading this would not want their spouse very friendly with a person that just may try to seduce them. Jealousy? I think not. Common sense? Yes.

Oh, no. Not you, too. I wrote an entire essay ("On Swinging & Open Marriage, Part 2" in response to all the bogus statistics I've seen people use on this site with regard to open marriage.

The bottom line is this: no one has really studied this issue, so the only data we have is anecdotal or wildly outdated. There is zero actual evidence to support the notion that open marriages fail more often than traditional marriages. The data we do have suggests the opposite.

Given that the divorce rate for traditional, monogamous marriage is roughly 50%, that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

And before the usual crowd goes apeshit, I'm NOT suggesting open marriage is better. I'm merely asking you not to use bogus statistics to prove your point.

Needs hotter sex to be rated higher.

I liked the twist at the end. I was expecting: "c u at hotel l8ter - love Gary"

Open marriage: Doesn't it conjure images? Balding men in red velvet leisure suits and saggy women in peasant blouses, leering at one another across shag carpet in the light of lava lamps. Beautiful, isn't it? The phenomenon seemed to die out in the eighties due to lack of interest and it's just been called "cheating" since.

Your wear your ignorance well, honey. Keep doing what you do best!

She is evil. When he suspects, she throws her "best friend" under the bus.

Oh my God. That was sooo funny, Randi. Leisure suits! You are hysterical. You make the funniest comments. ROFLOL,

I wanted to thank all who read this tale and commented. I usually enjoy joining in the conversation, especially when it gets good. Unfortunately, today was a busy day. I had to make myself stay disciplined and not check on the story until the after all was finished.

If I could weigh in really quickly, I enjoyed the comments about whether or not the male best friend is a good idea or a bad one. That was precisely the aim of this story. When I was speaking to a co-worker a while ago, he was telling me about his wife's best friend. He kept reiterating how much he hated this friendship. When he went into detail about how wrong it was, I failed to see the problem. It sounded like a standard friendship to me. It wasn't until he said, "I just don't like that mother fucker." that I got the picture. His wife's best friend was a man.

Surprisingly, that changed everything for me. My perception was completely reversed. Everything that seemed innocent before was wrong all of a sudden. My internal biases caused me to change my mind.

And yes, the guy in question was a cheerleader. I had a hard time believing he ws straight also. More sexism on my part. We are all slaves to our stereotypes at times.

That was the aim of this story. That is why I won't pursue a sequel. For this tale, getting into what happens after exceeds the goal. However, if anyone wants to "FTDS", you have my permission. I would love to see any author's interpretation of this.

Thank you all for the comments and constructive criticism. I even want to thank the hater(s) who just wanted to let me know what a shitty writer I am. If no one else reads, I know that at least he/she/they (can't tell if it is one or many) will.

We've seen the same thing with wive girlfriends, "best" or otherwise, where the wife condoning their cheating is either already cheating or is soon to do so,

IF her original story was true, her only correct course is to tell him, stop it or I'm telling your wife. And if he SAYS he stopped it, but didn't, not only tell the wife but drop him as ANY kind of a friend!

Of COURSE my wife can have friends of the opposite sex, but I'd better be her BEST friend, even above her best female friend! And vice versa, before SS declares me a misogynist!

I think Randi has the core vision correct. I would add the dorsal fins of divorce lawyers at the edges of the canvas. Perhaps mood lighting of a 1980s soap opera.

....... Maybe some Trump hair styles.

I particularly liked a comment made my TwoCrows. Having a friend (same or opposite) sex isn't the problem, especially not here. The problem comes in when that friendship takes precedence over the marriage. I firmly agree with that 100%.

That is not to say everything that is shared with the best friend has to be shared with the spouse. However, there should be nothing that you aren't WILLING to share with the spouse.

For instance, I couldn't care less about half of the shit that my wife and her friends talk about. Bad ass kids, who looked a hot mess, what the neighbors are up to, etc, doesn't matter to me. I don't want to know. However, if I asked her, there shouldn't be anything that she shares with them that I'm not privy to. Even if I don't ask, if it is something that she knows I would want to know, she should share it with me voluntarily

I believe in complete transparency in marriage. Whether it is monogamous, swinging, cuckold, or something else, complete transparency and communication is key. Without it, you are two separate people doing two separate things.

You are so wicked, girl. BOOM! Pretensions out the window and glamor shot to hell with such economy of words. Now that, was brilliant.

@rixels "Trump hairstyles." I can see it now. "Jaws" music in the background as the sharks are circling. Da DUM,, da DUM!

You know the story is shit!

Javmor, your story has brought up an interesting conversation about the various relationships a married person may form and how intimate these relationships may be.

One can quibble about the definition of 'best' with a best friend relationship, but let's assume that it's different from the 'bestness' of a romantic relationship between husband and wife. I have heard a man say at his wife's funeral "She was not only my wife, but she was also my best friend" and everybody knew what he was talking about. She had filled both roles in his life.

But even there, the two roles were different.

Others have commented on the divorce rate. Clearly, making a marriage work well for a lifetime takes work and not everybody is prepared to put in the effort required. Having that external relationship for one spouse to talk through problems he or she may be having within the marriage can make the difference between giving up or being encouraged to keep working on the marriage.

Whether that external relationship to talk through perceived problems that can't be discussed with a spouse is a relationship with a parent, a best friend, or even sometimes a child, it can be really helpful.

But, as Javmor said in an earlier comment, we have a stereotype of the 'best friend' a wife should have. If it's a male, it may not fit our stereotype. I wonder whether the expectation is as strong for a man? Is it more acceptable for a husband to have a female best friend? I suspect it may be, because women are supposed to take the supportive role without it necessarily having sexual undertones.

Interesting. Well done, Javmor.

Lue

SOOOOO brilliant! I know! Ooh, girl!

"Leisure suits!?" WHERE does she come up with such a wonderfully-creative stereotype!? It's almost -- almost -- as creative and witty as the "loser living in his mother's basement" trope! SO original! She must teach creative writing for a living!

I'm really curious, Kimi: how many cats do you live with? I'm gonna guess at least two.

What did any of this have to do with being best friends? Apparently he learns at the end of the story that his wife has been having an affair, which she has recently ended. That's pretty interesting, but that is where the story ends. The lead up is just a bunch of meaningless background about the person who texts his wife that he's glad she ended her affair. So what difference does it make who is lauding the wife for ending her cheating? Her best friend, a casual friend, coworker, a sister or brother, whoever, what difference does that make? We just found out that his wife has been committing adultery, and you want us to find it interesting that she has some best-friend relationship with some guy, since high school? Like I said, I don't see how that is interesting at all, unless she's actually screwing her best friend.

And this best friend, who reminds her he can't keep a secret, apparently has been keeping it a secret since the affair started. But since we are to learn absolutely nothing about this supposed affair, why should we care about this best friend relationship? So I apologize, but I do not understand the point of this story.

What your plot and dialogue does make clear is that this wife has totally bamboozled her husband, and manipulates him like a 5-year old. She's fucking around on him, but has him convinced that it is her best friend who is fucking around, and she is merely a passive confidante. So the wife is sinister and clever, while the husband is passive and clueless. Is that the point? Is this just another cuckold story? And you ended it just before she does the royal shit dance all over his head and makes him believe that the text is just a joke, or that the affair was a good break from the boredom of his company. If that's the point, then why didn't you say so? And if that wasn't the point, then why doesn't your story end with you making your point?

Wait, you did, and now I get it. The point is that women who have men for best friends always end up fucking somebody other than their husband. Well I could have told you that, she was a fucking cheerleader. You think girls become cheerleaders so they can compare cock sucking technique with the male cheerleaders? If she was a cheerleader she got all the jock cock she could handle. What do you expect when you marry a high school whore?

Good story, the protagonist was not entirely likeable, but we didn't really have enough time to warm up to him. I like the premise and the execution although I hate cliff hanger endings. It just SEEMS lazy, not to finish a story. I assume that they'll reconcile, depending on the nature of the affair.

Anyway in reference to the subject matter, I thought it was well done. I know that my wife shares everything with her best friend. That girl probably knows the size of my dick and which way it curves. That is just the nature of their relationship. If I was completely honest with myself, I know that I would feel uncomfortable with my wife having a male best friend. That doesn't make it right, but it's true. But you know what? Many many wives would feel the exact same way if their husbands had a female best friend. So I'm ok feeling that way. It's not about trust or anything like that, it's just the pretense and nature of relationships between men and women.

Looking forward to your future work.

He should hold the cell as evidence and divorce her. Also should make Gary testify at the hearing.

A great little read!

God, i miss FTDS, i hope he's doing well wherever he is

Four stars...but Paul should have picked up on it earlier.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/debra-macleod/opposite-sex-friendship_b_6646482.html

http://beating50percent.com/opposite-sex-friendships-will-ruin-marriage/

http://foundationrestoration.org/2012/07/the-rules-of-opposite-gender-friendships/

Regretfully I have no hard data but my experience in counseling with couples in crisis has underscored the extreme danger of opposite sex friendships outside of marriage or the principal relationship is a recipe for disaster. This is even true in straight/gay relationships that seem harmless.

It is not more open minded or evolved to dilute or even place obstacles in the path of maintaining any relationship.... which is hard enough work without outside relationships.

Not necessarily what happens with Paul and Ci Ci - he's either going to dump her cheating ass or wimp out and go all RAAC. What I'd be interested in seeing is what happens to her friendship with Gary if her marriage crashes and burns because of her cheating. My impression is that there's no chance Gary will pursue any kind of romance with her, especially not after she cheated, but will he still be her "best friend," or even a friend at all anymore?

> The bottom line is this: no one has really studied this issue, so the only data we have is anecdotal or wildly outdated. There is zero actual evidence to support the notion that open marriages fail more often than traditional marriages. The data we do have suggests the opposite.

Given that the divorce rate for traditional, monogamous marriage is roughly 50%, that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. <

First I'm not sure that "no data" is exactly accurate. We have sociological census data, statistics from divorce attorneys and courts may be available...and we could argue about the suitability and/or appropriateness of those as data sources forever. Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics, right?

Logically, though we'd have to agree that _most_ marriages that wind up in the "polyamorous" category usually start out in the monogamous category, and somewhere along the line there is a change (I'm excluding the atypical cuck/wimp-from-the-wedding-ceremony-or-before-and-onwards group, which should be statistically a very small percentage, from consideration for now). Whether the change is brought about via involuntary (cheating/cuck) paths or from extensive conversation and mutual agreement to open the marriage would greatly affect the chances for the survival of the relationship as a marriage through the transition period. This is only logical. But what statistics are available to make comparing the longevity of marriages in all categories meaningful? It only stands to reason that marriages undergoing a change will experience some level of turbulence ("change" is seldom smooth process in any aspect of life). Turbulence = stress, and some things break under stress.

So, I'm not sure how your thesis statement could ever be effectively measured against reality. Unless you have some way to fund some university sociology department to undertake such a study yourself.

From Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D...

Pitfalls to Male Female Friendships:

1. From the time of adolescence onwards, males and females are drawn to each other because of sexual attraction and curiosity. How do friends draw a distinction between mutual affection and sexual attraction and romance?

2. To make matters more complicated there is an excellent likelihood that if young and newly married spouses befriend someone from the opposite sex jealousy, suspicion and doubt are liable to infect the marriage.

3. Another complication is that those who surround the friends are likely to wink, make jokes, report to the spouse back at home, and otherwise act as though something more than friendship is occurring. What is more damaging than the rumor mill at work or in the neighborhood?

4. How do opposite sex friends behave when they meet each other? Do they embrace, hug, kiss or shake hands or none of the above? If male female friends hug and kiss is there a risk that, at some point one or the other will misinterpret this behavior?

5. If these friends go out to lunch how does the woman behave with regard to the check once the meal is over? The traditional role of the woman is to be passive, allowing the male to pay the bill and lead the way. Is this appropriate behavior for friends?

A story that shows an episode in a life and 'finishes' by leaving a question in the reader's mind can be a really worthwhile story, as I believe this one was.

It's especially so on a site like this, and in the LW category with such an engaged commentariat. It has started conversations on a couple of interesting topics.

Lue

Ps: To the Anonymous commenter who seems to dislike me so much. I am pleased that I wrote a story well enough for you to see it as a "true" story. I dislike stories starting out saying "this is a true story". If it's written well enough, that doesn't matter.

If the data you mention (census data, divorce attorney data, etc.) exists, I haven't been able to find it. If you can, I'd genuinely love to see it.

I understand the point you're making about nonmonogamous marriages, and I agree completely that the vast majority of marriages where one spouse is having sex without the full consent of the other spouse will almost always end in divorce (or worse.)

...But that's not the type of nonmonogamous marriage I'm referring to. I'm referring to open marriages or married couples who swing, with the full acceptable and approval of both partners. There is enough evidence to suggest that those arrangements result in a lower divorce rate than the average marriage.

I don't even know how we got on this topic, but I'm sure it was my fault!

I thought it was an excellent story. Thanks.

I'm not a huge fan of the format, but it was a solid effort given the limitations that format imposes. The biggest problem I saw with the story has already been pointed out by HDK. 90% of the tale is used to build tension around the wife's relationship with her 'best friend' . . . who she's been intimate at some level with in the past and has the reputation as a player (even though he's married now). All that build up and . . . nothing. You took a hard left turn, used the main tension of the story as obfuscation and threw the wife out there as the cheater. It's a decent twist, but left me feeling less than happy with the end result since the central theme was abandoned.

As the to ongoing 'open' versus 'closed' marriage debate in the comments that seems to dog every decent author's work, I'll throw my two cents in. I could care less what type of marriage you have as long as its an agreement reached by both parties and adhered to by both parties equally. Personally, the thought of being in an open relationship sickens me. It's not something I could tolerate. However, if that's something you want and both you and your partner agree to it, then good on you.

As anecdotal as it is, in my experience with couples in open relationships (I've run across 15 that I knew for sure of), many times there is one partner pushing for it and the other simply going along with it (reluctantly, at best) for a host of different reasons (love, financial, etc.). These types of open relationships always ended in divorce eventually (as the reluctant partner eventually gets fed up and leaves or becomes financially independent enough to survive on their own). The few that I've seen last ended up being little more than a financial arrangement between friends, as each partner drifted away from the other over a period of years. I assume there are successful examples of open relationships out there, I've just never run across one (at least knowingly).

I've seen both types of relationships crash and burn for exactly the same reasons. Narcissism, disrespect, and dishonesty. Open relationships have rules of conduct just like traditional relationships do. People in those open relationships are just as apt to break those rules, regardless of how it might seem. People like to push boundaries. One of the things that drives people to cheat is the feeling of exhilaration from doing something they know is wrong. Even with the possibility of multiple partners and new partners, there will be those that will become jaded and break the rules for the thrill of it. Just because you're in an 'open' relationship, it doesn't protect you from that sort of destructive behavior.

Well a lot of the comments and feedback here or over the top it's a little ironic that perhaps the most amusing will come and here's the one made by Harry in Virginia. There is a level of inconsistency with the story and the main character.

Paul appears tob e smart enough to see all the twists and psychological manipulations by the wife but he is not wise enough to grasp the implications of what defense of the male friends cheating actually means for their marriage. That strikes me as some what inconsistent. Plausible but a little inconsistent

Too bad it was so disliked by those who have to have everything spelled out. Five stars.

There are about a million commentators who want to read another story. Suck it up. This story is what javmor wants to say and the characters do what he wants them to do. If you don't like it, write your own story. As far as I am concerned it was close to faultless and I just wish I had the talent to write something half as good.

I appreciated husband Paul´s integrity and persistence in 1) being “outraged” that her friend was cheating and she was enabling him, and 2) punching through his wife´s mind games until she actually came clean on what that friend was actually doing. So far; so good.

Then, his wife “put the matter behind them” with some great, loving marital sex. God, how often do we men get “bought off” by good sex. :) However, the next day hubby was saved by the text message that he accidentally saw, which revealed that wifey was actually having an affair also.

This surprise ending was a clever twist as were the final words of the story: What the fuck? "CIARA!" This creates some nice suspense to end the story. However, we know, that given the integrity he demonstrated earlier in the story, he will be able to deal appropriately with his own cheating, lying and sneaky wife. Not real likely he will become a happy cuckold and her an (honest) hot wife! BTB!

I am a cuckold and my wife is a hot wife, which is something we mutually agreed upon in the first years of our courtship. However, I would never tolerate her lying to me or sneaking around behind my back.

My wife getting fucked senseless by other men, her bringing me home a cum filled pussy for sloppy seconds and, yes, her even having other men´s children is fine by me because we are honest and talk about these things ahead of time. (We have three children, all by different lovers of hers.) These are our kinks. But honesty is a non-negotiable.

Very good concept story!

...oh, don't get me wrong, it was very good and very well written.

But it was too close for comfort.

The afternoon my wife told her best friend of her affair, they had a little party together. Her best friend was NOT a fan, so this delighted her. When I got in from work that day, they ambushed me at the mailbox with some stupid trumped up news. What made my gears move extra fast, was that they ran up, all bouncy and twitters, giggling like they just heard Santa was real after all, each grabbed an arm and excitedly told me about their "news".....while bouncing..... it's just that best friend kept rubbing her tits on my arm. And we had never more than shaken hands before.

This disturbed me so much, I completely shut down, shook them off, ran into the house and puked up my afternoon coffee break.

This and the rest, is a story I may contribute when my situation changes and I am able to create an identity without creating.....problems.

I for one, hope you do not decide that this one should be left to us at this point.

I would love to see how this set of characters continues to interact and this story plays out.

Frankly, I hope it will be more interesting and creative than my own reality....but one does enjoy comparing....the reality with any number of fantasies.

Please carry on.

just long enough to really stir up the peanut gallery.

just short enough to leave much to the imagination.

ambiguous enough to straddle the divide within the panel of critics.

the sign of a truly successful story? when the comments are longer than the text.

lol

Thank you for this little offering! I enjoyed it for the most part however it left me like Catching Catwomen did. Loved the reveal now needed some kind of closure, even if left open ended somewhat.

Thanks again!

Killian

@luedon – When a man says at a funeral that “she wasn’t just my wife, she was my best friend,” it doesn’t mean that there could have been some “other” best friend. It is just emphasizing their closeness. And there aren’t a whole lot of women that wouldn’t chew her husband a new asshole if he ever called another woman his “best friend”!

@Anonymous Re: Best Friend (BTW, PLEASE get Id’s, it makes these exchanges SO much easier!) – The point with the “best friend” was to bring out his insecurity with his wife’s fidelity, enabling the twist at the end. I suppose it could have been done with a female best friend or whatever, but aren’t we always crying for “something different”?

Re: Ending – I think the ending is fairly obvious. First, she hides things from him. Second, she shows acceptance of cheating by enabling/covering up Gary’s cheating. Finally, SHE is exposed as the cheater, even if the affair is now over. Maybe not BTB, but I can’t see this marriage surviving.

While it is common sense that married partners not have extremely close friendships with the opposite sex, some will deny it is or should be an issue-inevitably the relationship will turn sexual, that is my own personal experience. Although I do have a cousin who's wife has a male best friend, the dude sleeps over, but my cousin assures me all is well and nothing untoward is going on.

I understand it's a flash story. But I rated it a 2 because I feel like thts not where it should have ended. I liked it until the end. Alittle more and it would hav jumped to a 5*

What else can anyone say? I enjoyed your flash story 4*

made much better by the outstanding twist at the end!

Wife wasn’t having an affair ALSO. Gary wasn’t having one, that was another lie by Ciara.

I wouldn't waste time on what happens with Paul and Ci Ci, except as background.

Instead, tell us about Gary, his past history with Ci Ci, his own marriage, how his wife saw his friendship with Ci Ci and what happened when he found out that Ci Ci was cheating on Paul. Did he tell his wife? What was her reaction? Did they argue about what he should do? Was the reason his wife didn't show at that lunch because Gary was going to push Ci Ci to end the affair and his wife didn't want to be there or have anything to do with Ci Ci? Which side will Gary take in Paul and Ci Ci's divorce? Which side will Gary's wife take? Will Gary's wife see Gary's failure to tell Paul or any sympathy Gary might show Ci Ci as an indication that maybe she can't trust Gary and become a threat to their marriage as well?

I think that would be a lot more interesting than another cookie cutter "BTB or RAAC?" second chapter.